ACORD Policy and Advocacy Advisor Job in London UK

Position: Policy and Advocacy Advisor

Location: London

Responsible To: Head of Policy & Advocacy

Organisational Context

ACORD (Agency for Cooperation and Research in Development) is a Pan-African Organization working for Social Justice and Development in Africa.

ACORD’s response to the challenges of Africa is firmly based on a belief that people themselves are the agents of change and actors of their own development. People’s ability to take action on the causes of poverty is what will transform Africa’s future.

This belief underpins ACORD’s practical work, its research methodologies and policy advocacy. ACORD works in partnership with local civil society and communities and in alliance with other organizations in Africa and the rest of the world.

The ACORD Programming Strategy is organised around 4 themes:

i) Livelihoods with emphasis on Food Sovereignty,

ii) Conflict,

iii) Gender & other forms of discrimination and

iv) HIV/AIDS.

Strengthening of African civil society, citizens’ movements and governance is a cross-cutting theme in all ACORD’s work. ACORD implements twelve (12) thematically aligned country and Area Programmes in 17 countries across Africa. The Pan-African Program is managed from the ACORD Headquarters in Nairobi and has food sovereignty as the overarching theme.

Job Summary

This position is located in London and part of the ACORD Programming Team The aim is the implementation of the policy and advocacy plans designated for UK and Europe in general in close collaboration with the Pan-African programme team based in Nairobi.

Under the supervision of the Head of Policy & Advocacy, the Policy and Advocacy Advisor will play a role of leadership in development of agreed research and advocacy agenda in the UK and more broadly in EUROPE.

This includes research, intelligence gathering, media, partnership and alliance building, popular mass mobilisation and lobby work, as well as capacity building, learning and knowledge management.

The Policy and Advocacy Advisor shall lead this work in close collaboration with the rest of the policy and advocacy team in Nairobi, and in country and regional programmes across Africa.

Specific Responsibilities

A. Programming

• In close collaboration with the Head of Policy & Advocacy, develop a clear strategy of positioning the agreed Africa Led policy and advocacy agenda in UK and Europe in general; and an implementation plan for its efficient delivery;
• Develop and implement an Annual Operational Plan and budget as part of the process of achieving the annual milestones towards the outcomes and objectives of the Pan-African Program;
• Keep abreast of Research and policies development and debates in Europe, relevant to the issues pertinent to ACORD , particularly issues of food sovereignty, gender justice, HIV and Aids, conflict and relevant linkages, and maintain a regular process of feeding the ACORD Pan-African Program Team and Area Programmes;
• Gather relevant intelligence on issues of food sovereignty and other themes so as to keep ACORD and its partners on top of the knowledge in the area and inform meaningfully the advocacy and lobby work;
• Develop and maintain sustained Partnerships and Alliances with Civil Society Organizations and Social Movements in the UK and Europe in general to advance the advocacy agenda of ACORD, especially those engaged on the same issues as ACORD, and support relevant links with the pan African movement;
• Develop and implement a lobbying and advocacy strategy and plans towards critical actors and “change makers” in the UK and Europe;
• In collaboration with the ACORD policy and advocacy team based in Nairobi, support the preparation of advocacy materials, including policy briefs, position papers, communication messages, position statement and any other material relevant to the ongoing campaign;
• Raise sustained public profile of ACORD and its agenda through creating, developing and maintaining good relations with the media in Europe;
• Be part of the CSOs and other social movements’ processes that are relevant to ACORD policy work and position ACORD agenda and partners. These would be in priority the UK and European food groups, the trade justice movement, gender justice, conflict and gender movement;
• Represent ACORD in UN ECOSSOC processes and others as an accredited member and keep abreast and position Acord agenda in the forum;
• Facilitate farmers, partners and staff of ACORD in Africa to engage in relevant processes, and policy debate in Europe
• Seek advice and agreement from the Head of Policy & Advocacy in case of any significant conceptual or programming changes in the course of the implementation of the Pan-African Program;
• Inform the Head of Policy & Advocacy on other opportunities and possibilities that may arise at the implementation stage that are likely to strengthen program results.

B. Funding and Management

• In collaboration with the Partnership Development Unit, search the external environment and contribute to mobilize sufficient resources for implementation of the Pan-African Program through participation in concept and proposal writing;
• Manage the approved budget for the Pan-African programme allocated for the Northern area within the approved annual work plan (as agreed with the Head of Policy & Advocacy on an annual basis);
• Produce regular monthly update and bi-annual, annual narrative and financial report for the Pan-African Program.
• Support any additional donor reporting activities for the Pan-African program in compliance with agreements between ACORD and donors;
• Promote information sharing in relation to the food sovereignty initiative;

C. Staff Supervision and Collaboration

The Policy and Advocacy Advisor is under the direct supervision of the Head of Policy & Advocacy.

Internal

The Policy and Advocacy Advisor will work closely with the Conflicts/Gender HIV & AIDS Thematic Managers, the Livelihoods Policy Advisor, the Monitoring and Evaluation Coordinator and the Head of Programmes Operations & Development.

S/he shall also work closely with colleagues in other departments- Partnership development, Funding and Communications, Human Resources & Organisational Development and Finance.

External

The position holder will develop strong partnerships with Civil Society Organisations and Social Movements and link ACORD’s work to other Northern initiatives.

The nature and modalities of institutional relationships shall be adapted to ACORD’s existing organisational terms and processes, and contribute to the successful implementation of ACORD’s Pan African Programme on Food Sovereignty.

Job Requirements

Education/ Qualification and Experience

Minimum Qualification: Masters in Social Sciences, Sustainable Development or Agricultural Sciences; International Relations or Communication, Law or related field.

Experience:

• Minimum of 4 years of experience in advocacy program in the NGO sector and social movement with international NGOs or institutions;
• Sustained experience in popular mobilization and Policy Advocacy work at International level especially on issues related to economic justice, other relevant issues;
• Relevant experience in policy analysis, lobbying and media work;
• Experience in networking and partnership and capacity in partnership management.

Technical Expertise

• Excellent Communication and Public Relations skills;
• Very good oral expression and writing skills
• Bilingual: English-French or Portuguese spoken and written is an essential requirement for the position
• High level of conceptual, strategic thinking and analysis;
• Very good understanding of economic and gender justice at the level of Policy influence in the European and international arena and good understanding of African realities
• Highly conversant with Civil Society and Social Movement approaches on issues economic justice and gender justice
• Good organisational, research, negotiation and analytical capabilities
• Ability to identify, obtain and analyze information from a variety of sources

Required Competencies

• Adaptation skills: ability to work well in a multicultural environment
• Highly motivated, responsible, self-directed, resourceful and flexible
• Conceptual, strategic and analytical skills;
• Collaboration and Team work;
• Decision making and problem solving skills;
• Partnership and Negotiation skills
• Creativity and ability to be innovative
• Communicate with impact with various stakeholders
• Able to manage workload and meet deadlines

Remuneration: a very competitive package

Download the application form from this link and apply to:

Human Resources & Organisational Development Manager
ACORD Nairobi, ACK Garden House,
P. O. Box 61216, 00200,
Nairobi, Kenya

Tel: +254 20 2721172, 2721185/86

To apply, please download and complete the application form and e-mail it with a detailed Curriculum Vitae and cover letter to recruit@acordinternational.org with the Job Title in the Subject Box.

Closing Date: 28th October 2011

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